Dwarfism genes and dwarf plants

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses the function, the cDNA sequences, and the expressed amino acid sequences of two genes the expression of which reduced bioactive GA levels and the height of a plant. This information enables creation of dwarf transgenic plants or transgenic plants with a specific dwarf organ.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Gibberellins (GAs) are a group of tetracyclic diterpene carboxylic acids involved in a variety of developmental processes. They were originally identified through their effect on stem elongation (Phillips, A. L., Plant Physiol. Biochem 36: 115-124, 1998), and are now implicated in all stages of the plant life cycle including seed germination, leaf expansion, floral induction, fruit maturation, and apical dominance (Harberd, N. P. et al., BioEssays 20: 1001-1008, 1998). There are at least 126 different GAs identified in plants, fungi, and bacteria; however, most are precursors or degradation products, which are inactive forms. The bioactive GAs in higher plants include GA1, GA3, GA4, and GA7 (Hedden, P. and A. L. Phillips, Trends Plant Sci. 5: 523-530, 2000).

[0003] The GA biosynthetic pathway has three different classes of enzymes that catalyze specific reactions in the synthesis of bioactive GAs: terpene cyclases, Cyt P450 monooxygenases, and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (Yamaguchi, S. and Y. Kamiya, Plant Cell Physiol. 41: 251-257, 2000). The first set of reactions of the biosynthetic pathway, from trans-geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) to GA12-aldehyde, is the same in all systems that have been studied. GGPP is converted to ent-kaurene via the terpene cyclases. ent-kaurene is then oxidized by Cyt P450 monooxygenases to GA12-aldehyde, GA12 and then GA53. GA12 and GA53 are the initial substrates for the 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases. The specific enzymatic steps for the synthesis of bioactive GAs from GA 12 are species specific.

[0004] The last reactions producing bioactive GAs and the first breakdown reactions involve several types of dioxygenases. The nomenclature of these dioxygenases is variable throughout the literature. Herein, the most commonly used name is listed first, followed by any other names also used. GA 20-oxidases remove the C-20, whereas 3β-hydroxylases (also called 3-oxidases) introduce the 3β-hydroxyl group; both are steps on the way to bioactive GAs. GA 2-oxidases (also called 2β-hydroxylases) introduce a 2β-hydroxyl group resulting in inactive products that cannot be converted to active forms (Thomas, S. G. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96: 4698-4703, 1999). GA 2-oxidases generally act on GAs with 19 carbons, although there is evidence of 2β-hydroxylation of C20-GAs (Hedden, P. and Y. Kamiya, Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 48: 431-60, 1997).

[0005] GA-modifying enzymes produce a vast number of GAs, although most are precursors or inactive forms. Many dioxygenases have been shown to be multifunctional, catalyzing consecutive reactions in the pathway, or modifying different, but structurally similar, GAs. For example, GA5, a GA 20-oxidase, converts GA12 to GA15 to GA24 to GA9, and GA53 to GA20 (Yamaguchi, S. and Y. Kamiya, Plant Cell Physiol. 41: 251-257, 2000). This multifunctional property allows many different GAs to be formed from relatively few enzymes.

[0006] Several of the dioxygenases can be grouped into small gene families. In Arabidopsis, GA 20-oxidases and GA 3β-hydroxylases are each encoded by at least four genes, and GA 2-oxidases are claimed in one review to be encoded by at least six genes (Hedden, P. and A. L. Phillips, Trends Plant Sci. 5: 523-530, 2000). Although the three groups of dioxygenases act on similar GA substrates, cluster analysis shows that they are no more closely related to each other than to any other plant dioxygenase (Hedden, P. and A. L. Phillips, Trends Plant Sci. 5: 523-530, 2000). The identity between different groups of GA dioxygenases is approximately 20-30% within one species, such as Arabidopsis (Table 1). Within a group, however, the identity is higher, even among species. Arabidopsis GA 20-oxidases are approximately 55-70% identical to each other, and 50-60% identical to 20-oxidases of other species (Prescott, A. G. and P. John, Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 47: 245-71, 1996). The three published Arabidopsis GA 2-oxidases are 49-68% identical to each other (Thomas, S. G. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96: 4698-4703, 1999), and 35-65% identical to GA 2-oxidases of other species (Table 2). The various members of each dioxygenase family are differentially expressed within the plant, and may be involved in different developmental processes (Hedden, P. and A. L. Phillips, Trends Plant Sci. 5: 523-530, 2000).

[0007] Chemical modification of GA levels is common in agriculture and horticulture. Seedless grapes are often treated with GA3 to increase berry size. Conversely, many crops and ornamental plants are treated with chemicals that act to inhibit enzymes in the GA-biosynthetic pathway (Hedden, P. and A. L. Phillips, Trends Plant Sci. 5: 523-530, 2000). Height reduction in ornamentals is currently achieved in many plants, such as poinsettias and petunias, via treatment with GA-inhibiting chemicals to produce compact plants that are more desired by consumers. Height reduction in a number of crop plants has resulted in increased yields and yield stability. In fact, compact crop plants have been a cornerstone of the great enhancements in agriculture yields over the past three decades. Compact plants can be grown more densely and are more resistant to storm damage (lodging) than taller wild type versions. Compact plants are easier to harvest because they hold the seed products closer together, reducing loss during harvesting.

[0008] Many groups have manipulated GA levels by transgenetically altering the expression of genes involved in GA metabolism. Overexpression of GA 20-oxidases in Arabidopsis has yielded plants with elevated GA levels which results in plants that are taller and have lighter green leaves than wild-type plants (Huang, S. et al., Plant Physiol. 118: 773-781, 1998). Suppression of GA 20-oxidases by antisense RNA has produced Arabidopsis plants that display phenotypes similar to weak GA-deficient plants; these plants have darker green cotyledons, were about 40% shorter than wild-type plants at maturity, and flowered slightly later than wild type in short-day conditions (Coles, J. P. et al., Plant J. 17: 547-556, 1999). Overexpression of a unique pumpkin 20-oxidase, which produces an inactive GA, has produced plants with a weak GA-deficient phenotype in Solanum dulcamara. These plants are semi-dwarfs, have smaller, darker green leaves, flower earlier, and produce more fruit and seed per fruit than wild type plants (Curtis, I. S. et al., Plant J. 23: 329-338, 2000). Overexpression of a bean 2-oxidase in Arabidopsis has produced plants with a variety of phenotypes including GA-like dwarfs and semi-dwarfs (Hedden, P. and A. L. Phillips, Trends Plant Sci. 5: 523-530, 2000). The same range of phenotypes was seen when the bean 2-oxidase was overexpressed in wheat (Hedden, P. and A. L. Phillips, Trends Plant Sci. 5: 523-530, 2000). Ectopic expression of a rice 2-oxidase resulted in rice plants which were dwarfed and had darker green, shorter and wider leaf blades, a typical GA-deficient phenotype for rice (Sakamoto, T. et al., Plant Physiol. 125: 1508-1516, 2001).

[0009] Genetically altering GA-modifying enzymes has the advantage of providing a means of decreasing chemical usage in plant production, as well as decreasing energy and time expenditures in chemical applications.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention discloses the function, the cDNA sequences, and the expressed amino acid sequences of two genes, the expression of which reduced bioactive GA levels and the height of a plant. The present invention includes various nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides that are related to the two genes and useful in various applications such as detecting the genes, generating antibodies and generating dwarf plants. The present invention also includes various host cells containing the nucleic acid molecules. The present invention also includes methods of generating dwarf plants using the nucleic acid molecules and the polypeptides described above and the resulted dwarf plants themselves.

[0011] It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool to creators of new plant varieties to alter the height of a plant or the size of a specific plant organ.

[0012] It is an advantage of the present invention that the two genes are dominant with regard to the dwarf phenotype so that a dwarf transgenic plant is easy to create.

[0013] Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following specifications and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 shows alignment of L10 and 69 proteins.

[0015]FIG. 2 shows alignment of other GA-modifying enzymes to the L10 and 69 proteins.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Set forth below are the cDNA (SEQ ID NO:3 and SEQ ID NO:5) and the deduced amino acid (SEQ ID NO:4 and SEQ ID NO:6) sequences of two plant dwarfism genes, here named L10 and 69, respectively. The names L10 and 69 are for identification purpose only and may be changed to other names (for example, GA_ox_, wherein “_” is a number) to reflect the function of these two genes when the sequences are submitted for publication. When over expressed in a plant, each of these two genes reduced the bioactive GA level and the height of the plant. Prior to the present invention, the genomic DNA sequences (SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:2), but not the cDNA sequences, the amino acid sequences and the function, of these two genes were known. The present invention provides plant breeders and creators a unique tool so as to sculpt the height of a plant to more closely follow the desires of the breeder.

[0017] As shown in the examples below, overexpression of either L10 or 69 cause GA-deficiency indicating they are involved in GA degradation, not biosynthesis. L10 and 69 proteins have 44% identity and 54.5% similarity to each other. Both are listed in the database as gibberellin 20-oxidase-like proteins. GA 20-oxidases, however, are involved in biosynthesis, not degradation, although there is one report of a unique pumpkin 20-oxidase whose activity results in an inactive product and causes a dwarf phenotype when overexpressed in certain species (but not in Arabidopsis) (Curtis, I. S. et al., Plant J. 23: 329-338, 2000).

[0018] By sequence analysis, L10 and 69 do not fit well into any of the three groups of dioxygenases (Tables 1 and 2). In a BLAST search, the GA 20-oxidases from a variety of species show up before any 3β-hydroxylases or 2-oxidases; however, there is only a 28-33% identity between the 20-oxidases and our novel dioxygenases. There is a 24-30% identity between the novel dioxygenases and 3β-hydroxylases or 2-oxidases (Table 1 and 2) from various species. Thus, L10 and 69 dioxygenases do not seem to be significantly more similar to 20-oxidases than to the other dioxygenases (Table 1 and FIG. 2), and their overexpression phenotypes indicate that they are not 20-oxidases or 3β-hydroxylases. 20 oxidases and 3β-hydroxylases are biosynthetic enzymes and their overexpression should therefore lead to taller plants, but overexpression of either L10 or 69 leads to dwarf plants. Thus, if the L10 and 69 dioxygenases are part of a currently recognized class, based upon the overexpression of dwarf phenotype, it is more likely that they are 2-oxidases than either 3β-hydroxylases or 20-oxidases. A complete comparison of the amino acid sequences of all cloned 2-oxidases are shown in Table 2. The unique 20-oxidase from pumpkin is also included. As can be seen in Tables 1 and 2, the L10 and 69 dioxygenases are not as similar to the 2-oxidases as the rest of the 2-oxidases are to each other, even between species. The L10 and 69 dioxygenases are no more similar to the 2-oxidases than the 2-oxidases are to the 20-oxidases or 3β-hydroxylases (Table 1 and 2). Thus, the L10 and 69 dioxygenases are either a new class of dioxygenases or a unique, more distant subgroup of an existing class of dioxygenases.

[0019] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a polypeptide including an amino acid sequence that has at least 35%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identity to and over the entire length of that of SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:4 with conservative substitutions, or SEQ ID NO:6 with conservative substitutions. The present invention also relates to a polypeptide including a novel fragment of the amino acid sequence described above, especially a fragment that is immunogenic or has a biological activity of reducing the bioactive GA level or the height of a plant. Besides the amino acid sequence described above, the polypeptide of the present invention can include a native or non-native amino acid sequence at the N- or C-terminus or both, which will not interfere with the function of the amino acid sequence described above. The flanking native or non-native amino acid sequence can but does not have to be one that assists in purification, detection, or stabilization of the amino acid sequence described above.

[0020] As used herein, “percent identity” of the two amino acid sequences or of two nucleic acids is synonymous to “percent homology,” which is determined using the algorithm of Karlin and Altschul (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:2264-2268, 1990), modified as in Karlin and Altschul (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:5873-5877, 1993). Such an algorithm is incorporated into the NBLAST and XBLAST programs of Altschul et al. (J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-410, 1990). BLAST nucleotide searches are performed with the NBLAST program, score=100, wordlength=12, to obtain nucleotide sequences homologous to a nucleic acid molecule of the invention. BLAST protein searches are performed with the XBLAST program, score=50, wordlength=3, to obtain amino acid sequences homologous to a reference polypeptide (e.g., SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6). To obtain gapped alignments for comparison purposes, Gapped BLAST is utilized as described in Altschul et al. (Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3389-3402, 1997). When utilizing BLAST and Gapped BLAST programs, the default parameters of the respective programs (e.g., XBLAST and NBLAST) are used. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

[0021] Also within the scope of the present invention are polypeptides that bind specifically to an antibody that binds specifically to protein L10 or 69.

[0022] In another aspect, the present invention relates isolated nucleic acid molecules as described below. An “isolated nucleic acid molecule” used herein is a nucleic acid the structure of which is not identical to that of any naturally occurring nucleic acid or to that of any fragment of a naturally occurring genomic nucleic acid spanning more than three separate genes. The term therefore covers, for example, (a) a DNA which has the sequence of part of a naturally occurring genomic DNA molecules but is not flanked by both of the coding sequences that flank that part of the molecule in the genome of the organism in which it naturally occurs; (b) a nucleic acid incorporated into a vector or into the genomic DNA of a prokaryote or eukaryote in a manner such that the resulting molecule is not identical to any naturally occurring vector or genomic DNA; (c) a separate molecule such as a cDNA, a genomic fragment, a fragment produced by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), or a restriction fragment; and (d) a recombinant nucleotide sequence that is part of a hybrid gene, i.e., a gene encoding a fusion protein. Specifically excluded from this definition are nucleic acids present in mixtures of (i) DNA molecules, (ii) transfected cells, and (iii) cell clones, e.g., as these occur in a DNA library such as a cDNA or genomic DNA library. An isolated nucleic acid molecule can be modified or unmodified DNA or RNA, whether fully or partially single-stranded or double-stranded or even triple-stranded. A modified nucleic acid molecule can be chemically or enzymatically induced and can include so-called non-standard bases such as inosine.

[0023] An isolated nucleic acid molecule of the present invention is one that includes a polynucleotide having an uninterrupted coding sequence that encodes a polypeptide the amino acid sequence of which is at least 35%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6, a complement of the foregoing, or a novel fragment of any of the foregoing. A preferred nucleic acid molecule includes a polynucleotide having a sequence that is at least 35%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 97% or 99% identical to SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:5.

[0024] The invention also includes nucleic acid molecules that hybridize under stringent hybridization conditions (as defined herein) to all or a portion of the nucleotide sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:3 or its complement, or SEQ ID NO:5 or its complement. The hybridizing portion of the hybridizing nucleic acid molecules is typically at least 15 (e.g., 20, 25, 30, or 50) nucleotides in length. The hybridizing portion of the hybridizing nucleic acid molecules is at least 80%, e.g., at least 95%, or at least 99%, identical to the sequence of a portion or all of a nucleic acid encoding a L10 or 69 polypeptide, or the sequence's complement. Hybridizing nucleic acid molecules of the type described herein can be used, for example, as a cloning probe, a primer (e.g., a PCR primer), or a diagnostic probe. Hybridization of the oligonucleotide probe to a nucleic acid sample typically is performed under stringent conditions. Nucleic acid duplex or hybrid stability is expressed as the melting temperature or Tm, which is the temperature at which a probe dissociates from a target DNA. This melting temperature is used to define the required stringency conditions. If sequences are to be identified that are related and substantially identical to the probe, rather than identical, then it is useful to first establish the lowest temperature at which only homologous hybridization occurs with a particular concentration of salt (e.g., SSC or SSPE).

[0025] Then, assuming that 1% mismatching results in a 1° C. decrease in the Tm, the temperature of the final wash in the hybridization reaction is reduced accordingly (for example, if sequences having >95% identity with the probe are sought, the final wash temperature is decreased by 5° C.). In practice, the change in Tm can be between 0.5° C. and 1.5° C. per 1% mismatch. Stringent conditions involve hybridizing at 68° C. in 5×SSC/5× Denhardt's solution/1.0% SDS, and washing in 0.2×SSC/0.1% SDS at room temperature. Moderately stringent conditions include washing in 3×SSC at 42° C. The parameters of salt concentration and temperature can be varied to achieve the optimal level of identity between the probe and the target nucleic acid. Additional guidance regarding such conditions is readily available in the art, for example, by Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Press, N.Y.; and Ausubel et al. (eds.), 1995, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, (John Wiley & Sons, N.Y.) at Unit 2.10.

[0026] Isolated nucleic acid molecules of the invention can be obtained by several methods. For example, they can be isolated using procedures which are well known in the art. These include, but are not limited to: (a) hybridization of detectably labeled probes representing all or part of the L10 or 69 gene to genomic or cDNA libraries to detect similar nucleic acid sequences; (b) antibody screening of expression libraries to detect similar structural features; (c) synthesis by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR); and (d) chemical synthesis of a nucleic acid molecule. Sequences for specific coding regions of genes can also be found in GenBank, the National Institutes of Health computer database.

[0027] For the identification of isolated nucleic acid molecules using detectably labeled probes, or for the identification of polynucleotide fragments whose complements hybridize to L10 or 69, stringent hybridizing conditions described above can be used. Alternatively, higher stringency conditions can be used. Typically, lower stringency hybridization conditions permit hybridization of related but not identical L10 or 69 gene, and thereby allow identification of the L10 or 69 gene in other species.

[0028] In a related aspect, any polynucleotide sequence of the present invention, or an antisense version thereof, can be provided in a vector or genetic construct in a manner known to those skilled in the art. A polypeptide-encoding polynucleotide so provided in a vector can, but need not, be under the transcriptional control of one or more regulatory elements which can include a promoter not natively found adjacent to the polynucleotide such that the encoded polypeptide can be produced when the vector is provided in a compatible host cell or in a cell-free transcription and translation system. Such cell-based and cell-free systems are well known to the skilled artisan. Cells comprising a vector containing a polynucleotide sequence of the invention are themselves within the scope of the invention.

[0029] In another related aspect, the present invention encompass a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide the amino acid sequence of which is at least 35%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6, operably linked to a non-native expression control sequence which can include a promoter. Such a polynucleotide of the present invention can be provided in a vector such that the encoded polypeptide can be produced when the vector is provided in a compatible host cell or in a cell-free transcription and translation system. Such cell-based and cell-free systems are well known to the skilled artisan. Cells comprising the vector are themselves within the scope of the invention.

[0030] In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a method of reducing the height of a plant and the resulted dwarf plant. One way to reduce the height of a plant is to increase the transcription or translation rate, or the stability of the mRNA or protein products of the endogenous L10 or 69 gene. Another way to reduce the height of a plant is to make a trangenic plant to express certain isolated nucleic acid molecules of the present invention, which include for example, the L10 or 69 gene of the same or a different species (either the genomic DNA or cDNA of the L10 or 69 gene), a portion of a L10 or 69 gene the protein product of which retains the function of reducing bioactive GA level, and other nucleic acid molecules of the present invention that are effective when expressed in the transgenic plant to cause the transgenic plant to be shorter compared to a non-transgenic plant of the same genetic background.

[0031] The examples below showed that expressing the Arabidopsis L10 or 69 gene introduced into a Arabidopsis plant or the Arabidopsis L10 gene introduced into a tobacco plant reduced the height of the Arabidopsis or tobacco plant. Identical or similar techniques can be used to express a L10 or 69 gene in other plants species to reduce the height of those species. In addition, this Arabidopsis or tobacco plant system can be used to test possible L10 or 69 genes from other plant species and those nucleic acid molecules of the present invention that are effective to cause a transgenic plant to be shorter compared to a non-transgenic plant of the same genetic background.

[0032] It should be understood that techniques of plant genetic engineering have been developed to the point where it is now practical to place any genetic construct into almost any useful plant species. The process does, however, still involve some random processes, most notably that insertions of foreign DNA into the genome of plants still occurs at random sites in the plant genome. As a result, in any group of plants emerging from a plant transformation process, the results achieved for the different gene insertion events will vary, sometimes dramatically. For example, for a simple gene insertion of another copy of an endogenous plant gene, many plants produced will have a slightly higher level of activity of the endogenous protein, others will have no measurable change or even a decrease in measurable activity, while a few will have substantial increases in activity levels. However, this variation does not mean stable results cannot be achieved, since the results tend to be consistent generation-to-generation for each specific genetic insertion. Thus the high activity plants have, in effect, a high activity allele that can be transferred by normal mendelian inheritance to their progeny.

[0033] To make a transgenic plant, as is known to those of skill in the art, one needs to make a genetic construction capable of expressing an inserted protein coding sequence, whether foreign or endogenous, in a plant. One also needs a method to insert the genetic construction into the plant.

[0034] The tools and techniques for making genetic constructions that will express proteins in plants are now widely known. Any genetic construction intended to cause the synthesis in the cells of the plant of a polypeptide or protein must include a sequence of DNA known as a protein coding sequence (can be a genomic DNA or a cDNA), which specifies the sequence of the polypeptide or protein to be produced in the resultant plant. For a protein coding sequence to be expressed in a plant to produce a polypeptide or protein, it must be placed under the control of a plant expressible promoter and be followed by a plant transcriptional terminator sequence, also known as a polyadenlyation sequence. The plant expressible promoter is a promoter which will work in plants, usually either of plant origin or from a plant pathogen like a virus (e.g. Cauliflower mosaic virus) or a bacteria (e.g. Agrobacterium promoters like the nopaline synthase promoter). Plant promoters from pathogens tend to be constitutive promoters, meaning that they actually express the protein coding sequence in all of the tissues of the plant at all times. Other plant promoters are known to be tissue specific (e.g. to fruit or to flower) or developmentally specific (e.g. to stage of plant life such as emergent specific or senescent specific), while others are intended to be inducible (e.g. heat shock or metal ion induced promoters). Any of these types of promoters may by used in the practice of this invention depending on the intended affect on the transgenic plant to be produced. For example, a plant with a specific height or stature may be obtained through adjusting the expression level of a transgene by varying promoter strength. One may also use a tissue specific promoter to limit the dwarfing effect such as changing inflorescence architecture, stem elongation, or fruit development without changing any other aspect of the plant.

[0035] Several methods have been demonstrated to insert genes into plants to make them transgenic. The most widely used methods, broadly defined, are Agrobacterium-mediated transformation or accelerated particle mediated transformation. The various techniques of Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation make use of the natural ability of the plant pathogens of the Agrobacterium genus to transfer DNA from a plasmid in the bacteria into the genome of a plant cell. Particle-mediated plant transformation techniques utilize DNA-coated small carrier particles accelerated from a device, often referred to as a gene gun, into the cells of a plant. The full implementation of either approach requires techniques to recover a fully mature, morphologically normal plant from the transformed cells. The techniques often therefore involve either selection or screening protocols to identify which plant cells were transformed and regeneration protocols to recover whole plants from the single transformed plants cells. As mentioned above, these techniques have been worked out for many plant species and many, and perhaps all, of the economically important plant species. Other techniques, such as electroporation have also been used to make transgenic plants. But fundamentally for the invention disclosed here, the particular technique of plant transformation does not matter. Once the plant has been genetically engineered, and a transgenic plant has been created, the method of transformation of the original plant becomes irrelevant. A transgene inserted into the genome of one plant is then fully inheritable by progeny plants of the original genetically engineered plant by normal rules of classical plant breeding. The term transgene is here used to apply to an inserted genetic construction carried in the cells of a target plant. Thus, the term transgenic plant, as used here, refers to a plant that carries such a transgene.

[0036] Plants in which a copy of a L10 or 69 gene is introduced may also contain a wild-type (i.e., endogenous) plant height coding region which acts to control the height of the plant. Upon introduction into the genome of a plant, the L10 or 69 gene can act to augment the activity of an endogenous height coding region to make the plant shorter. For instance, a second copy of a height coding region can be introduced into a plant to increase the amount of height reduction L10 or 69 protein present in the plant.

[0037] The present invention also provides a genetically modified plant, characterized as having the phenotypic trait of general dwarfing of the whole plant or dwarfing of a specific plant organ. By this it is meant that the modified plants of the present invention, whether modified by incorporating a L10 or 69 gene expressing a new or additional L10 or 69 protein in the plant, demonstrate a reduced height or size in at least one tissue or organ relative to the same plant without the transgene inserted. Preferably, the dwarfing of the whole transgenic plant or a specific tissue or organ (on average) of the transgenic plant is at least about 20%, more preferably at least about 100%, most preferably at least about 200% in comparison to the same plant without the transgene. Preferably, the genetically modified plant and the same plant without the transgene are grown under the same conditions.

[0038] Plants included in the invention are any plants amenable to transformation techniques, including both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. Examples of monocotyledonous plants include, but are not limited to, vegetables such as asparagus, onions and garlic; cereals such as maize, barley, wheat, rice, sorghum, pearl millet, rye and oats; and grasses such as forage grasses and turfgrasses. Examples of dicotyledonous plants include, but are not limited to, vegetables, feed, and oil crops such as tomato, beans, soybeans, peppers, lettuce, peas, alfalfa, clover, Brassica species (e.g., cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, rapeseed, and radish), carrot, beets, eggplant, spinach, cucumber, squash, melons, cantaloupe, sunflowers; fiber crops such as cotton; and various ornamentals such as flowers and shrubs.

[0039] In another related aspect, the isolated nucleic acid molecules of the present invention can be used to analyze and determine the pattern of L10 or 69 gene activity of a transgenic or non-transgenic plant as an aid to breeding or creating plants having desired heights.

[0040] The above disclosure generally describes the present invention. A more complete understanding can be obtained by reference to the following specific examples which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLES

[0041]1. Isolation of Mutants that Possessed Altered GA-Metabolism.

[0042] Arabidopsis was mutagenized by T-DNA derived from Agrobacterium tumefaciens to generate plants with altered phenotypes. The mutagenesis was designed to isolate plants that contained dominant phenotypes by use of a T-DNA vector that contained a transcriptional enhancer region (PSKI15 activation vector) (Weigel, D. et al., Plant Physiol. 122: 1003-1013, 2000). Plants were screened in the initial (T1) generation to identify mutant plants that displayed altered inflorescence architecture.

[0043] Two mutant plants (Line 10 (L10) and Line 69, (69)) were identified that displayed smaller and darker green leaves, delayed floral induction, and reduced primary inflorescence length (Table 3). These phenotypes are similar to loss-of-function alleles of GA biosynthetic enzymes. When GA levels were directly measured it was found that bioactive GAs in the mutants L10 and 69 were substantially lower than wild-type plants. Bioactive GA (GA4) was measured in wild-type plants at 1.84 ng/g dry weight; whereas, both L10 and 69 plants did not contain detectable levels of GA4. Additionally, other GA forms were also substantially lower in the L10 and 69 lines (Table 4). Both mutant phenotypes could be rescued by the external application of bioactive GA3, which is consistent with the notion that the phenotypes were a result of reduced levels of bioactive GAs.

[0044] Heterozygous plants of L10 and 69 were self-pollinated to create a segregating population. A 3:1 ratio of mutant to wild-type plants was observed in the segregating population of both L10 and 69 indicating that both phenotypes are dominant. There are no detectable differences between heterozygous and homozygous phenotypes for either mutant and thus each appears to behave in a fully dominant manner.

[0045] The phenotype of the mutants cosegregated with the T-DNA present in the mutants. More than 100 plants from the segregating population were assayed for both the altered GA phenotype and the presence of the T-DNA. All of the plants that displayed the GA-deficient phenotype contained the T-DNA while none of the wild-type plants contained the T-DNA. The probability of this cosegregation occurring randomly is less than 0.00001 and therefore indicated that the T-DNA caused the mutant phenotype seen in the L10 and 69 lines.

[0046] 2. Cloning of Genes that Caused the L10 and 69 Mutant Phenotypes.

[0047] Since the T-DNA cosegregated with the mutant phenotype, it was possible to sequence the genomic DNA near the T-DNA to determine where in the genome the T-DNA was located. A piece of the genomic DNA near the T-DNA from both mutants was sequenced and used to search the Arabidopsis data base (which includes sequences from many organisms) at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. The search revealed that genomic DNA sequences corresponding to predicted genes were directly adjacent to the enhancer region of the inserted T-DNA in both L10 and 69 plants. These genes were designated L10 and 69, respectively. In the Arabidopsis data base, 69 is on BAC F7J7 (accession number AL021960: Arabidopsis thaliana DNA chromosome 4, BAC clone F7J7 (ESSA project)). It is number 140 (F7J7.140) on that BAC. The nucleotide sequence is annotated as “similarity to gibberellin C-20 oxidase, Oryza sativa, PATCHX:G1854637.” The predicted protein (CAA17539.1) is annotated as “gibberellin 20-oxidase-like protein.” L10 is on BAC F8A12 (accession number AC079284: Arabidopsis thaliana chromosome 1 BAC F8A12 genomic sequence, complete sequence). It is number 18 (F8A12.18) on that BAC. The nucleotide sequence is annotated as “similar to gibberellin 20 oxidase (Triticum aestivum) GI:2222796.” The predicted protein (AAG50945.1) is annotated as “gibberellin 20-oxidase, putative.”

[0048] Based on the above information, we have determined the cDNA sequences for L10 and 69 as SEQ ID NO:3 and SEQ ID NO:5, respectively.

[0049] Reverse-transcription-based PCR was used to determine the expression levels of the L10 and 69 gene in the two mutants. Both L10 and 69 plants had substantially increased mRNA levels of their respective enzymes. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis that the phenotypes of the mutants were due to activation of gene expression caused by the enhancer region of the T-DNA.

[0050] 3. Ectopic Expression of L10 and 69 in Arabidopsis.

[0051] To test the hypothesis that the L10 and 69 phenotypes were due to the activation of the respective GA-modifying genes, L10 and 69 were constitutively overexpressed. The genomic region of the respective genes was cloned into a vector that contained a cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (35S) that provides constitutive mRNA expression in most plant tissues. These new vectors that contained the 35S::L10 or 35S::69 constructs were transformed into wild-type Arabidopsis. First generation transformed plants were screened for phenotypes similar to the respective initial L10 or 69 lines. Approximately half of the transformed plants displayed phenotypes similar or identical to that of the initially isolated L10 or 69 lines, respectively. Thus, increased expression of the GA-modifying genes was sufficient to cause the alterations in plant growth and stature that were seen in the initially isolated mutant lines. This data confirmed that the activation of the GA-modifying genes near the T-DNA inserts had caused the dominant GA-deficient phenotypes. In addition to the 35S-driven genomic clones, the cDNAs for each of the L10 and 69 lines were also placed under the transcriptional control of the 35S promoter and were found to also cause a dwarf, GA-deficient-like phenotype. This indicates that the cDNAs are functional and sufficient for the purposes of altering GA metabolism to produce the aforementioned phenotypes.

[0052]4. Ectopic Expression of L10 Functions in Tobacco to Produce GA-Deficient-Like Plants.

[0053] Introduction of the 35S::L10 or 355:69 into wild-type tobacco (Wisconsin 38) produces plants that appear to be deficient in bioactive GAs. Many phenotypic changes are similar to the phenotypic changes in Arabidopsis. For example, the leaves are smaller and darker green, plant height is reduced, and internode distance is shortened (Table 5). The 35S::L10 and 355:69 tobacco plants and the wild-type plant had similar seed yield.

[0054] 5. Sequence Alignments of L10 and 69 to GA-Modifying Enzymes.

[0055] L10 and 69 are more similar to each other than to any other protein in the Arabidopsis database. When L10 is used to BLAST search the Arabidopsis database of proteins, the closest match to L10 is 69. Likewise, when 69 is used to search the database L10 is the closest match to 69. This implies that L10 and 69 may define a group of GA-modifying enzymes that may be functionally distinct from other GA-modifying enzymes (Tables 1 and 2). An alignment of L10 to 69, depicted in FIG. 1, reveals that there is 44% identity and 54.5% similarity shared by the two proteins. In FIG. 1, lines denote identity and colons and periods denote degree of similarity.

[0056] An alignment of L10 and 69 to AtGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2, AtGA2ox3, AtGA20ox1, GA5 (a 20-oxidase), and GA4 (a 3β-hydroxylase), as depicted in FIG. 2, reveals that these enzymes contain regions of similarity (see also Table 2). In FIG. 2, amino acid residues that are identical with 69 protein are designated by a black box surrounding the amino acid residue and similarities in amino acid residues to 69 proteins are denoted by gray shading around residues. However, L10 and 69 contain unique regions that are similar to each other but show little or no relatedness to the other GA-modification enzymes. The two most prominent examples of this are the sequence from L10 at amino acid 115 through 137 and the carboxy terminus of L10 and 69 defined by the L10 protein sequence at amino acid 304 through 335 (FIGS. 1 and 2). TABLE 1 Percent identity between novel dioxygenases and other known Arabidopsis dioxygenases (Numbers in the table are percent identity. Thick lines separate the groups of dioxygenases and the values under these lines illustrate the high percent of identity within each group. All of the dioxygenases are from Arabidopsis. At 2ox1-3 are the three cloned 2-oxidases (accession nos. AJ32435, AJ132436, and AJ132437). At20ox1-3 are three 20-oxidases (accession nos. X83379, X83380, and X8338 1). At 3ox1-2 are two 3β-hydroxylases (accession nos. L37126 and T51691)).

[0057] TABLE 2 Percent identity between the L10 and 69 dioxygenases and other known GA-degrading enzymes (Numbers in the table are percent identity. A thick line separates the known 2-oxidases. L10 and 69 are our two novel dioxygenases. At 2ox1-3 are the three 2-oxidases in Arabidopsis (accession nos. AJ132435, AJ132436, and AJ132437). Rice 2ox is the 2-oxidase from Oryza sativa (Sakamota, 2001). Bean 2ox is the 2-oxidase from Phaseolus coccineus (accession no. AJ132438). Pea 2ox1-2 are the two 2-oxidases from Pisum sativum (accession nos. AF1009541 and AF056935). Pumpkin 20ox is the unique 20-oxidase from Cucurbita maxima (accession no. AAB643 45)).

[0058] TABLE 3 Characterization of the Mutant Phenotypes of L10 and 69 Lines. GA₃- GA₃- Wild- treated treated Type L10 69 ^(35S::)L10 ^(35S::)69 L10 69 Flowering 8 17 15 16 15 8 8 Time LD (Number of Leaves) Height cm 47 7.2 9.4 8.2 9.6 30 30 Number of 41 77 84 >100 >100 65 65 Flowering Branches Internode 8.9 1.8 2.3 2.4 2.6 7 7 Length mm

[0059] TABLE 4 Abundance of GAs Present in Wild Type and Mutant Lines (All values are in ng/g dry weight. ND = not detectable). GAs Ws (wild type) 69 L10 Non-13-Hydroxylated: GA₂₄ 51.8 0.23 0.06 GA₉ 1.01 0.05 0.02 GA₄ 1.84 ND ND 13-Hydroxylated: GA₅₃ 6.43 0.30 0.39 GA₄₄ 0.79 ND ND GA₁₉ 9.29 0.09 0.02 GA₂₀ 0.19 ND ND GA₁ 0.12 0.02 ND

[0060] TABLE 5 Phenotypic Alterations in Tobacco with Ectopic Expression of L10. Characteristic Wild type 35S::_(L10) Leat Length cm 32 10 Height in cm 8.5 2.5 Internode distance in cm 0.7 0.2

[0061] The complete disclosures of all publications that are cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference as if individually incorporated. It is also understood that, given the limitations of the state of the art, occasional sequence errors or deletions may occur without affecting the usefulness of the data presented. Various modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention, and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein, but rather is to be construed to be of spirit and scope defined by the appended claims.

1 12 1 2171 DNA Arabidopsis 1 atggcttctc aacctccctt taagacaaat ttctgctcga ttttcggaag ctcatttcca 60 aattcaacta gtgagagcaa tacaaacaca tcaactatcc aaacctcagg cataaagctt 120 cctgtgatcg atctcagcca tctaactagt ggtgaggagg tcaaacgcaa aagatgtgtg 180 aaacaaatgg ttgcagctgc gaaagagtgg ggattttttc aaattgtgaa ccatggaatt 240 cccaaagacg tctttgagat gatgctcctc gaagagaaga aactctttga ccaacctttt 300 tctgtgaaag tcagagaacg tttttcggac ttatcgaaga atagttaccg ttggggaaac 360 cctagcgcca cttctcccgc tcagtactcc gtttcggaag cgtttcacat cattctttca 420 gaggtttcaa ggatttctga tgatcgcaac aacctcaggt tttttaatta taggattttt 480 atctttattg attgaattct gtctcatgaa accctaattc ttgaattgtc gtagttgttt 540 cttttaatta taattgactc aactgatatc gtttcaggga aaagttctta gccagtcata 600 ctcgttttcc cttcagtttc atcaatcata attttctaga tatcttttat gaaattcttg 660 cgagtatata gattttaaat atttggagtg aaatttggtt ttgctgaaga tttcaatttt 720 tggaatgaaa ttgttatggg tctttggaag atcaagcaag gttcacatgc ttgtaatata 780 gtagtattat agaaacactt ataaatcttt tatgtttaag gaaaactttc atacagttca 840 tatatagaga tatattgtag ttatacatac aaaataaaaa aaaatacaag atcataaatc 900 attatatact atatatagat agatgagtaa ccgttacata attaatttct attttctttt 960 tacagaacaa tcgttgaaac gtatgtgcaa gagatagctc gagtggcaca aatgatatgt 1020 gaaatactgg ggaaacaagt gaacgtgagt tcggagtatt tcgaaaacat ttttgagctt 1080 gaaaacagtt ttctaaggct caataagtac catcctagtg tttttggttc tgaagtgttt 1140 ggtttggttc ctcataccga tacaagtttt ctcactatac tctctcaaga tcaaatcgga 1200 gggttagaat tggaaaataa tggacaatgg atcagcgtaa aaccttgctt ggaagccctt 1260 acagtcaaca ttggggatat gtttcaggta attacttcta ccctttgatt ttcaacgttc 1320 aagtccatta aggttagcta ttgccctgta tcatttttca acagcgaact attaattagt 1380 tctatgattc taaagcgtat atgacttaga ataaagcaaa tcctaaaact tcagtagaag 1440 tttttctggt atattatttt atatatatag gtaaaatgtc acgagagata atgttaatta 1500 atacaaaaat gttaagaaac atatgcttaa ttaggcgcca caaaaaaaaa attgtgttat 1560 caattgtttc tgttgttcaa taaaattctg aatatagtta tgaagtaatt gtataaatcc 1620 tttattttat cgaattggtt tctctatgaa ctatattggt cataagttca ggggaaaccc 1680 tagaaaatta tcaagggcca agcttttgca tgagcttcga tctggtgcct aacatatatt 1740 agataagatc tactgattta aattttaata tatattgcta atcattctca aagaacttct 1800 ttgattttat ttataagaaa gagatgacag ttgaaaccaa cctatattac aactcaaatt 1860 aacgctaatg tctttgatag acaaatatat aaatcgtata tatatatttt gcaagctaat 1920 tattttcatg tatgctatag gcactgagta atggagtgta ccaaagcgtg agacatagag 1980 tgatttctcc agcaaatatc gagaggatgt caatagcttt cttcgtatgt ccttatctcg 2040 aaactgagat cgattgcttt gggtatccaa agaagtatag aagattcagt ttcagagagt 2100 acaaagagca gagtgaacat gatgttaaag aaactggtga taaggtaggc ttgtccaggt 2160 ttctcatttg a 2171 2 3861 DNA Arabidopsis 2 agatcttctc atggatccac cattcaacga aatatacaat aaccttttgt ataatcagat 60 cacaaagaaa gataacgatg tttctgaaat accctttagc ttctcagtca cagccgtcgt 120 cgaggaggtg gagcttcctg tgattgacgt cagccgtttg attgatggag ccgaggagga 180 gagagagaaa tgtaaggaag cgattgcgag agcttcgagg gagtggggat tttttcaagt 240 gataaaccat ggaatatcaa tggatgtgtt ggagaagatg agacaagagc aaattagggt 300 ctttagagag ccttttgaca agaaaagtaa gtcggagaaa ttttccgccg ggagttaccg 360 gtggggaacg ccgtcagcca cttctatccg gcagctttct tggtcagaag cttttcatgt 420 tcccatgaca gatatttctg acaacaagga ctttactact ctcaggtaca caaatattgt 480 tatcaattac atttttttag aattaattta cttattaaac ttaattattt gaaaaaatat 540 gtggagaatt atcccaataa caagatgtaa attaaaatac aactttacct ttcttttggt 600 taagttacct tctaaacaac tagtgttttg aggattagta agtaaatttt aatgacatat 660 ataatgatac aactatagta ttaattaata tcaagttttt gactataagt aacactattt 720 gcaaagaaaa ttaattaatt agtcaaagat tagacatggg agacaaacac agtttttaat 780 tcagtatatg gtggttttga agcatataat agagtgttgt catttatatt taattaataa 840 tagttttgga tattttagaa atttaatcct agaaaataaa gttgttgggc attgggtcaa 900 agatttattc cccatatctc atgcgtttct atgttttcca tttttaatac tatttttgaa 960 tacgtctaat tttgggatag caagttggca tgtgaaatac aatgaataaa taaacaatat 1020 taagactttt caaacaaaaa taaaatatta tgtatttgga aaatatataa gaaataaatc 1080 ttaacgtaga ttttttttgt ttgttaaaga acaatcttaa gatagttaat taaactctag 1140 ctaacttttt ttaagatacc tctaatgttg ttatttattc tttgattctt cgtattcgta 1200 ggaacttcgt caacttcaaa ttctttaaca tgctagaaaa tataatggac ttcttagaat 1260 taatattctg cattagctgc gccgcggaat gattttttta tgaaacaaac ctttttattg 1320 ttatatatcc aaacaatcat cattttttag tagttgttgt cagatttttt caatagaaaa 1380 tgggatttag accaactgat gattttggtc ggtttttgtc gggagaaata atcgaaaacc 1440 attaaccaac tcatggttcc gaaaaaaaaa acccatcaac caactcatta gaagacataa 1500 gttgcttttc aaaacaatat ataaacatta tactacgagt ctgcgaacgt ttatatctga 1560 aaactttcaa acaattaaca cgcctataca taactggaat caaactaacc attttacatt 1620 tacaatatct tagttatatc tctttttttt ttgtccaaaa gagattatgt atcataactt 1680 ttttcatatg tgtgttcaat taagaatttt tgaataacct ttaccaaaaa aaaagaaaag 1740 aattttctca aataaaattt tagtttactc agaacctcta aaaacaagct aggtacgatc 1800 tagaaacata tagtacacac tatttgtgta taatacataa ctacagtact atatggtgag 1860 aaaagaaagg aagagtcacg agaaaactgt ctgtttggca aatgagggat aatggaaggg 1920 aagaagaagt actcggacat gccaggctag ctagctatat ataaatacac acgtatataa 1980 attatcttgt gatcagtgtg tactaatgtg tgctggaatc tgtacacatt cttatatgta 2040 catatgtatt tgcatgcatg tggttgtctt acacatcttt atgcattgtt tcagcttctg 2100 tgcgtgtttg tgtatgtgtg accacatacc gttgttactt ttcatagttg gcgttctctt 2160 gataagtcac tgttagtgtg gcaatttgac aataaaatct aaaatgttat taattataac 2220 accccaattc aatatatata tatatacaca tataagaaaa tgtatgtgga aagttcaaac 2280 tataatccat gagataatag aaatatagat ccgaatttta ttatggtttt acagtgatct 2340 aatatattgt agacaaaaat ggtttagaaa acacttgaat gcaaatgcct aaaaaggcta 2400 aaacacatgc atcaccgatc attttgctaa aatttcagtt gaaaataaga tgcaatactt 2460 tatttttaaa aaataaaatt agagatgaat tttttttgta ttaatttttt ttaataactt 2520 ttgatcctta atctctttga aaaaaacaaa acaaaacaaa acatgtataa tccctttatt 2580 accgtctggt atttatatat tagactgacc ggattgtggt atagtcttcc aaatgtccaa 2640 tactttctag accgagctaa tccaaccgga tgataaagtg aatagagttc atcattcaaa 2700 tgtcaaatga actatagtct atatacatag atgcatgcat ataaagagta tccaaaaaga 2760 gaaataatat agaagactca aaattggaaa aagggtccca tgttcctaac aggtaggaga 2820 tatctctatc atagagaaac aatggatcgt acacgtacac gtacatctcc tctcaacctg 2880 attcataccc atttttcctt ctctactcgt ccttgattta gtctcttggg acccttctcc 2940 attatatctc acatgtctct caaacttcct gccatttcac ctccttacat gtcaatttgc 3000 ttcgatcacc ttaattatat tatgggcatg ttataatgtt cttatcttct aatttgtttc 3060 acagctcaac aatggagaaa tttgcttcgg aatcagaggc attagcatat atgttggcag 3120 aggttcttgc agaaaaatct ggacaaaatt caagtttctt caaagaaaac tgtgtgagaa 3180 atacatgtta tctaaggatg aaccgatatc caccttgtcc caaaccatcg gaggtgtacg 3240 gattaatgcc acacacggac agtgatttcc tcacaatctt gtatcaagat caagtcggag 3300 gactccaact tatcaaagac aatagatgga tcgctgttaa acctaatcct aaagctctca 3360 ttatcaatat tggtgactta tttcaggtaa ttgagctttt attatgtcat tctaccatta 3420 ccattatatc attatccgga gcttacaaat tagtttggta ttttatgttt tgatatggtt 3480 tggaaggatt taaacaattt gttcatacgc atgcatgatc aataattaaa aatgtggatt 3540 tcttataaag ataacatcta aggcaatgta ttaaaaatgt ctttaaatta ctagattgta 3600 cttatatatg tgtttggtta ggcatggagc aatggcatgt acaaaagtgt tgaacaccgt 3660 gtgatgacga acccaaaggt ggagagattc tcaacggctt attttatgtg tccatcatac 3720 gacgccgtta tagagtgttc aagtgatcgt cctgcttata gaaatttcag cttcagagaa 3780 ttcagacaac aagttcaaga agatgttaag aagtttggtt ttaaagttgg ccttcctagg 3840 ttccttaatc acgtctacta a 3861 3 1011 DNA Arabidopsis CDS (1)..(1008) 3 atg gct tct caa cct ccc ttt aag aca aat ttc tgc tcg att ttc gga 48 Met Ala Ser Gln Pro Pro Phe Lys Thr Asn Phe Cys Ser Ile Phe Gly 1 5 10 15 agc tca ttt cca aat tca act agt gat agc aat aca aac aca tca act 96 Ser Ser Phe Pro Asn Ser Thr Ser Asp Ser Asn Thr Asn Thr Ser Thr 20 25 30 atc caa acc tca ggc tta aag ctt cct gtg atc gat ctc agc cat cta 144 Ile Gln Thr Ser Gly Leu Lys Leu Pro Val Ile Asp Leu Ser His Leu 35 40 45 act agt ggt gag gag gtc aaa cgc aaa aga tgt gtg aaa caa atg gtt 192 Thr Ser Gly Glu Glu Val Lys Arg Lys Arg Cys Val Lys Gln Met Val 50 55 60 gca gct gcg aaa gag tgg gga ttt ttt caa att gtg aac cat gga att 240 Ala Ala Ala Lys Glu Trp Gly Phe Phe Gln Ile Val Asn His Gly Ile 65 70 75 80 ccc aaa gac gtc ttt gag atg atg ctc ctc gaa gag aag aaa ctc ttt 288 Pro Lys Asp Val Phe Glu Met Met Leu Leu Glu Glu Lys Lys Leu Phe 85 90 95 gac caa cct ttt tct gtg aaa gtc aga gaa cgt ttt tcg gac tta tcg 336 Asp Gln Pro Phe Ser Val Lys Val Arg Glu Arg Phe Ser Asp Leu Ser 100 105 110 aag aat agt tac cgt tgg gga aac cct agc gcc act tct ccc gct cag 384 Lys Asn Ser Tyr Arg Trp Gly Asn Pro Ser Ala Thr Ser Pro Ala Gln 115 120 125 tac tcc gtt tcg gaa gcg ttt cac atc att ctt tca gag gtt tca agg 432 Tyr Ser Val Ser Glu Ala Phe His Ile Ile Leu Ser Glu Val Ser Arg 130 135 140 att tct gat gat cgc aac aac ctc aga aca atc gtt gaa gcg tat gtg 480 Ile Ser Asp Asp Arg Asn Asn Leu Arg Thr Ile Val Glu Ala Tyr Val 145 150 155 160 caa gag ata gct cga gtg gca caa atg ata tgt gaa ata ctg ggg aaa 528 Gln Glu Ile Ala Arg Val Ala Gln Met Ile Cys Glu Ile Leu Gly Lys 165 170 175 caa gtg aac gtg agt tcg gag tat ttc gaa aac att ttt gag ctt gaa 576 Gln Val Asn Val Ser Ser Glu Tyr Phe Glu Asn Ile Phe Glu Leu Glu 180 185 190 aac agt ttt cta agg ctc aat aag tac cat cct agt gtt ttt ggt tct 624 Asn Ser Phe Leu Arg Leu Asn Lys Tyr His Pro Ser Val Phe Gly Ser 195 200 205 gaa gtg ttt ggt ttg gtt cct cat acc gat aca agt ttt ctc act ata 672 Glu Val Phe Gly Leu Val Pro His Thr Asp Thr Ser Phe Leu Thr Ile 210 215 220 ctc tct caa gat caa atc gga ggg tta gaa ttg gaa aat aat gga caa 720 Leu Ser Gln Asp Gln Ile Gly Gly Leu Glu Leu Glu Asn Asn Gly Gln 225 230 235 240 tgg atc agc gta aaa cct tgc ttg gaa gcc ctt aca gtc aac att ggg 768 Trp Ile Ser Val Lys Pro Cys Leu Glu Ala Leu Thr Val Asn Ile Gly 245 250 255 gat atg ttt cag gca ctg agt aat gga gtg tac caa agc gtg aga cat 816 Asp Met Phe Gln Ala Leu Ser Asn Gly Val Tyr Gln Ser Val Arg His 260 265 270 aga gtg att tct cca gca aat atc gag agg atg tca ata gct ttc ttc 864 Arg Val Ile Ser Pro Ala Asn Ile Glu Arg Met Ser Ile Ala Phe Phe 275 280 285 gta tgt cct tat ctc gaa act gag atc gat tgc ttt ggg tat cca aag 912 Val Cys Pro Tyr Leu Glu Thr Glu Ile Asp Cys Phe Gly Tyr Pro Lys 290 295 300 aag tat aga aga ttc agt ttc aga gag tac aaa gag cag agt gaa cat 960 Lys Tyr Arg Arg Phe Ser Phe Arg Glu Tyr Lys Glu Gln Ser Glu His 305 310 315 320 gat gtt aaa gaa act ggt gat aag gta ggc ttg tcc agg ttt ctc att 1008 Asp Val Lys Glu Thr Gly Asp Lys Val Gly Leu Ser Arg Phe Leu Ile 325 330 335 tga 1011 4 336 PRT Arabidopsis 4 Met Ala Ser Gln Pro Pro Phe Lys Thr Asn Phe Cys Ser Ile Phe Gly 1 5 10 15 Ser Ser Phe Pro Asn Ser Thr Ser Asp Ser Asn Thr Asn Thr Ser Thr 20 25 30 Ile Gln Thr Ser Gly Leu Lys Leu Pro Val Ile Asp Leu Ser His Leu 35 40 45 Thr Ser Gly Glu Glu Val Lys Arg Lys Arg Cys Val Lys Gln Met Val 50 55 60 Ala Ala Ala Lys Glu Trp Gly Phe Phe Gln Ile Val Asn His Gly Ile 65 70 75 80 Pro Lys Asp Val Phe Glu Met Met Leu Leu Glu Glu Lys Lys Leu Phe 85 90 95 Asp Gln Pro Phe Ser Val Lys Val Arg Glu Arg Phe Ser Asp Leu Ser 100 105 110 Lys Asn Ser Tyr Arg Trp Gly Asn Pro Ser Ala Thr Ser Pro Ala Gln 115 120 125 Tyr Ser Val Ser Glu Ala Phe His Ile Ile Leu Ser Glu Val Ser Arg 130 135 140 Ile Ser Asp Asp Arg Asn Asn Leu Arg Thr Ile Val Glu Ala Tyr Val 145 150 155 160 Gln Glu Ile Ala Arg Val Ala Gln Met Ile Cys Glu Ile Leu Gly Lys 165 170 175 Gln Val Asn Val Ser Ser Glu Tyr Phe Glu Asn Ile Phe Glu Leu Glu 180 185 190 Asn Ser Phe Leu Arg Leu Asn Lys Tyr His Pro Ser Val Phe Gly Ser 195 200 205 Glu Val Phe Gly Leu Val Pro His Thr Asp Thr Ser Phe Leu Thr Ile 210 215 220 Leu Ser Gln Asp Gln Ile Gly Gly Leu Glu Leu Glu Asn Asn Gly Gln 225 230 235 240 Trp Ile Ser Val Lys Pro Cys Leu Glu Ala Leu Thr Val Asn Ile Gly 245 250 255 Asp Met Phe Gln Ala Leu Ser Asn Gly Val Tyr Gln Ser Val Arg His 260 265 270 Arg Val Ile Ser Pro Ala Asn Ile Glu Arg Met Ser Ile Ala Phe Phe 275 280 285 Val Cys Pro Tyr Leu Glu Thr Glu Ile Asp Cys Phe Gly Tyr Pro Lys 290 295 300 Lys Tyr Arg Arg Phe Ser Phe Arg Glu Tyr Lys Glu Gln Ser Glu His 305 310 315 320 Asp Val Lys Glu Thr Gly Asp Lys Val Gly Leu Ser Arg Phe Leu Ile 325 330 335 5 1017 DNA Arabidopsis CDS (1)..(1014) 5 atg gac cca cca ttc aac gaa ata tac aat aac ctt ttg tat aat cag 48 Met Asp Pro Pro Phe Asn Glu Ile Tyr Asn Asn Leu Leu Tyr Asn Gln 1 5 10 15 atc aca aac aaa gaa aac gat gtt tct gaa ata ccc ttt agc ttc tcc 96 Ile Thr Asn Lys Glu Asn Asp Val Ser Glu Ile Pro Phe Ser Phe Ser 20 25 30 gtc aca gcc gtc gtc gag gag gtg gag ctt cct gtg att gac gtc agc 144 Val Thr Ala Val Val Glu Glu Val Glu Leu Pro Val Ile Asp Val Ser 35 40 45 cgt ttg att gat gga gcc gag gag gag aga gag aaa tgt aag gaa gcg 192 Arg Leu Ile Asp Gly Ala Glu Glu Glu Arg Glu Lys Cys Lys Glu Ala 50 55 60 att gcg aga gct tcg agg gag tgg gga ttt ttt caa gtg ata aac cat 240 Ile Ala Arg Ala Ser Arg Glu Trp Gly Phe Phe Gln Val Ile Asn His 65 70 75 80 gga ata tca atg gat gtg ttg gag aag atg aga caa gag caa att agg 288 Gly Ile Ser Met Asp Val Leu Glu Lys Met Arg Gln Glu Gln Ile Arg 85 90 95 gtc ttt aga gag cct ttt gac aag aaa agt aag tcg gag aaa ttt tcc 336 Val Phe Arg Glu Pro Phe Asp Lys Lys Ser Lys Ser Glu Lys Phe Ser 100 105 110 gcc ggg agt tac cgg tgg gga acg ccg tca gcc act tct atc cgg cag 384 Ala Gly Ser Tyr Arg Trp Gly Thr Pro Ser Ala Thr Ser Ile Arg Gln 115 120 125 ctt tct tgg tca gaa gct ttt cat gtt ccc atg aca gat att tct gac 432 Leu Ser Trp Ser Glu Ala Phe His Val Pro Met Thr Asp Ile Ser Asp 130 135 140 aac aag gac ttt act act ctc agc tca aca atg gag aaa ttt gct tcg 480 Asn Lys Asp Phe Thr Thr Leu Ser Ser Thr Met Glu Lys Phe Ala Ser 145 150 155 160 gaa tca gag gca tta gca tat atg ttg gca gag gtt ctt gca gaa aaa 528 Glu Ser Glu Ala Leu Ala Tyr Met Leu Ala Glu Val Leu Ala Glu Lys 165 170 175 gca gga caa aaa tca agt ttc ttc aaa gaa aac tgt gtg aga aat aca 576 Ala Gly Gln Lys Ser Ser Phe Phe Lys Glu Asn Cys Val Arg Asn Thr 180 185 190 tgt tat cta agg atg aac cga tat cca cct tgt ccc aaa cca tcg gag 624 Cys Tyr Leu Arg Met Asn Arg Tyr Pro Pro Cys Pro Lys Pro Ser Glu 195 200 205 gtg tac gga tta atg cca cat acg gac agt gat ttc ctt aca atc ttg 672 Val Tyr Gly Leu Met Pro His Thr Asp Ser Asp Phe Leu Thr Ile Leu 210 215 220 tat caa gat caa gtc gga gga ctc caa ctc atc aaa gac aat aga tgg 720 Tyr Gln Asp Gln Val Gly Gly Leu Gln Leu Ile Lys Asp Asn Arg Trp 225 230 235 240 atc gct gtt aaa cct aat cct aaa gct ctc att atc aat att ggt gac 768 Ile Ala Val Lys Pro Asn Pro Lys Ala Leu Ile Ile Asn Ile Gly Asp 245 250 255 tta ttt cag gca tgg agc aat ggc atg tac aaa agt gtt gaa cac cgt 816 Leu Phe Gln Ala Trp Ser Asn Gly Met Tyr Lys Ser Val Glu His Arg 260 265 270 gtg atg acg aac cca aag gtg gag aga ttc tca acg gct tat ttt atg 864 Val Met Thr Asn Pro Lys Val Glu Arg Phe Ser Thr Ala Tyr Phe Met 275 280 285 tgt cca tca tac gac gcc gtt ata gag tgt tca agt gat cgt cct gct 912 Cys Pro Ser Tyr Asp Ala Val Ile Glu Cys Ser Ser Asp Arg Pro Ala 290 295 300 tat aga aat ttc agc ttc aga gaa ttc aga caa caa gtt caa gaa gat 960 Tyr Arg Asn Phe Ser Phe Arg Glu Phe Arg Gln Gln Val Gln Glu Asp 305 310 315 320 gtt aag aag ttt ggt ttt aaa gtt ggc ctt cct agg ttc ctt aat cac 1008 Val Lys Lys Phe Gly Phe Lys Val Gly Leu Pro Arg Phe Leu Asn His 325 330 335 gtc tac taa 1017 Val Tyr 6 338 PRT Arabidopsis 6 Met Asp Pro Pro Phe Asn Glu Ile Tyr Asn Asn Leu Leu Tyr Asn Gln 1 5 10 15 Ile Thr Asn Lys Glu Asn Asp Val Ser Glu Ile Pro Phe Ser Phe Ser 20 25 30 Val Thr Ala Val Val Glu Glu Val Glu Leu Pro Val Ile Asp Val Ser 35 40 45 Arg Leu Ile Asp Gly Ala Glu Glu Glu Arg Glu Lys Cys Lys Glu Ala 50 55 60 Ile Ala Arg Ala Ser Arg Glu Trp Gly Phe Phe Gln Val Ile Asn His 65 70 75 80 Gly Ile Ser Met Asp Val Leu Glu Lys Met Arg Gln Glu Gln Ile Arg 85 90 95 Val Phe Arg Glu Pro Phe Asp Lys Lys Ser Lys Ser Glu Lys Phe Ser 100 105 110 Ala Gly Ser Tyr Arg Trp Gly Thr Pro Ser Ala Thr Ser Ile Arg Gln 115 120 125 Leu Ser Trp Ser Glu Ala Phe His Val Pro Met Thr Asp Ile Ser Asp 130 135 140 Asn Lys Asp Phe Thr Thr Leu Ser Ser Thr Met Glu Lys Phe Ala Ser 145 150 155 160 Glu Ser Glu Ala Leu Ala Tyr Met Leu Ala Glu Val Leu Ala Glu Lys 165 170 175 Ala Gly Gln Lys Ser Ser Phe Phe Lys Glu Asn Cys Val Arg Asn Thr 180 185 190 Cys Tyr Leu Arg Met Asn Arg Tyr Pro Pro Cys Pro Lys Pro Ser Glu 195 200 205 Val Tyr Gly Leu Met Pro His Thr Asp Ser Asp Phe Leu Thr Ile Leu 210 215 220 Tyr Gln Asp Gln Val Gly Gly Leu Gln Leu Ile Lys Asp Asn Arg Trp 225 230 235 240 Ile Ala Val Lys Pro Asn Pro Lys Ala Leu Ile Ile Asn Ile Gly Asp 245 250 255 Leu Phe Gln Ala Trp Ser Asn Gly Met Tyr Lys Ser Val Glu His Arg 260 265 270 Val Met Thr Asn Pro Lys Val Glu Arg Phe Ser Thr Ala Tyr Phe Met 275 280 285 Cys Pro Ser Tyr Asp Ala Val Ile Glu Cys Ser Ser Asp Arg Pro Ala 290 295 300 Tyr Arg Asn Phe Ser Phe Arg Glu Phe Arg Gln Gln Val Gln Glu Asp 305 310 315 320 Val Lys Lys Phe Gly Phe Lys Val Gly Leu Pro Arg Phe Leu Asn His 325 330 335 Val Tyr 7 378 PRT Arabidopsis 7 Met Ala Ile Leu Cys Thr Thr Thr Ser Pro Ala Glu Lys Glu His Glu 1 5 10 15 Pro Lys Gln Asp Leu Glu Lys Asp Gln Thr Ser Pro Leu Ile Phe Asn 20 25 30 Pro Ser Leu Leu Asn Leu Gln Ser Gln Ile Pro Asn Gln Phe Ile Trp 35 40 45 Pro Asp Glu Glu Lys Pro Ser Ile Asp Ile Pro Glu Leu Asn Val Pro 50 55 60 Phe Ile Asp Leu Ser Ser Gln Asp Ser Thr Leu Glu Ala Pro Arg Val 65 70 75 80 Ile Ala Glu Ala Cys Thr Lys His Gly Phe Phe Leu Val Val Asn His 85 90 95 Gly Val Ser Glu Ser Leu Ile Ala Asp Ala His Arg Leu Met Glu Ser 100 105 110 Phe Phe Asp Met Pro Leu Ala Gly Lys Gln Lys Ala Gln Arg Lys Pro 115 120 125 Gly Glu Ser Cys Gly Tyr Ala Ser Ser Phe Thr Gly Arg Phe Ser Thr 130 135 140 Lys Leu Pro Trp Lys Glu Thr Leu Ser Phe Gln Phe Ser Asn Asp Asn 145 150 155 160 Ser Gly Ser Arg Thr Val Gln Asp Tyr Phe Ser Asp Thr Leu Gly Gln 165 170 175 Glu Phe Glu Gln Phe Gly Lys Val Tyr Gln Asp Tyr Cys Glu Ala Met 180 185 190 Ser Ser Leu Ser Leu Lys Ile Met Glu Leu Leu Gly Leu Ser Leu Gly 195 200 205 Val Asn Arg Asp Tyr Phe Arg Gly Phe Phe Glu Glu Asn Asp Ser Ile 210 215 220 Met Arg Leu Asn His Tyr Pro Pro Cys Gln Thr Pro Asp Leu Thr Leu 225 230 235 240 Gly Thr Gly Pro His Cys Asp Pro Ser Ser Leu Thr Ile Leu His Gln 245 250 255 Asp His Val Asn Gly Leu Gln Val Phe Val Asp Asn Gln Trp Gln Ser 260 265 270 Ile Arg Pro Asn Pro Lys Ala Phe Val Val Asn Ile Gly Asp Thr Phe 275 280 285 Met Ala Leu Ser Asn Gly Ile Phe Lys Ser Cys Leu His Arg Ala Val 290 295 300 Val Asn Arg Glu Ser Ala Arg Lys Ser Met Ala Phe Phe Leu Cys Pro 305 310 315 320 Lys Lys Asp Lys Val Val Lys Pro Pro Ser Asp Ile Leu Glu Lys Met 325 330 335 Lys Thr Arg Lys Tyr Pro Asp Phe Thr Trp Ser Met Phe Leu Glu Phe 340 345 350 Thr Gln Lys His Tyr Arg Ala Asp Val Asn Thr Leu Asp Ser Phe Ser 355 360 365 Asn Trp Val Ile Thr Asn Asn Asn Pro Ile 370 375 8 377 PRT Arabidopsis 8 Met Ala Val Ser Phe Val Thr Thr Ser Pro Glu Glu Glu Asp Lys Pro 1 5 10 15 Lys Leu Gly Leu Gly Asn Ile Gln Thr Pro Leu Ile Phe Asn Pro Ser 20 25 30 Met Leu Asn Leu Gln Ala Asn Ile Pro Asn Gln Phe Ile Trp Pro Asp 35 40 45 Asp Glu Lys Pro Ser Ile Asn Val Leu Glu Leu Asp Val Pro Leu Ile 50 55 60 Asp Leu Gln Asn Leu Leu Ser Asp Pro Ser Ser Thr Leu Asp Ala Ser 65 70 75 80 Arg Leu Ile Ser Glu Ala Cys Lys Lys His Gly Phe Phe Leu Val Val 85 90 95 Asn His Gly Ile Ser Glu Glu Leu Ile Ser Asp Ala His Glu Tyr Thr 100 105 110 Ser Arg Phe Phe Asp Met Pro Leu Ser Glu Lys Gln Arg Val Leu Arg 115 120 125 Lys Ser Gly Glu Ser Val Gly Tyr Ala Ser Ser Phe Thr Gly Arg Phe 130 135 140 Ser Thr Lys Leu Pro Trp Lys Glu Thr Leu Ser Phe Arg Phe Cys Asp 145 150 155 160 Asp Met Ser Arg Ser Lys Ser Val Gln Asp Tyr Phe Cys Asp Ala Leu 165 170 175 Gly His Gly Phe Gln Pro Phe Gly Lys Val Tyr Gln Glu Tyr Cys Glu 180 185 190 Ala Met Ser Ser Leu Ser Leu Lys Ile Met Glu Leu Leu Gly Leu Ser 195 200 205 Leu Gly Val Lys Arg Asp Tyr Phe Arg Glu Phe Phe Glu Glu Asn Asp 210 215 220 Ser Ile Met Arg Leu Asn Tyr Tyr Pro Pro Cys Ile Lys Pro Asp Leu 225 230 235 240 Thr Leu Gly Thr Gly Pro His Cys Asp Pro Thr Ser Leu Thr Ile Leu 245 250 255 His Gln Asp His Val Asn Gly Leu Gln Val Phe Val Glu Asn Gln Trp 260 265 270 Arg Ser Ile Arg Pro Asn Pro Lys Ala Phe Val Val Asn Ile Gly Asp 275 280 285 Thr Phe Met Ala Leu Ser Asn Asp Arg Tyr Lys Ser Cys Leu His Arg 290 295 300 Ala Val Val Asn Ser Glu Arg Met Arg Lys Ser Leu Ala Phe Phe Leu 305 310 315 320 Cys Pro Lys Lys Asp Arg Val Val Thr Pro Pro Arg Glu Leu Leu Asp 325 330 335 Ser Ile Thr Ser Arg Arg Tyr Pro Asp Phe Thr Trp Ser Met Phe Leu 340 345 350 Glu Phe Thr Gln Lys His Tyr Arg Ala Asp Met Asn Thr Leu Gln Ala 355 360 365 Phe Ser Asp Trp Leu Thr Lys Pro Ile 370 375 9 358 PRT Arabidopsis 9 Met Pro Ala Met Leu Thr Asp Val Phe Arg Gly His Pro Ile His Leu 1 5 10 15 Pro His Ser His Ile Pro Asp Phe Thr Ser Leu Arg Glu Leu Pro Asp 20 25 30 Ser Tyr Lys Trp Thr Pro Lys Asp Asp Leu Leu Phe Ser Ala Ala Pro 35 40 45 Ser Pro Pro Ala Thr Gly Glu Asn Ile Pro Leu Ile Asp Leu Asp His 50 55 60 Pro Asp Ala Thr Asn Gln Ile Gly His Ala Cys Arg Thr Trp Gly Ala 65 70 75 80 Phe Gln Ile Ser Asn His Gly Val Pro Leu Gly Leu Leu Gln Asp Ile 85 90 95 Glu Phe Leu Thr Gly Ser Leu Phe Gly Leu Pro Val Gln Arg Lys Leu 100 105 110 Lys Ser Ala Arg Ser Glu Thr Gly Val Ser Gly Tyr Gly Val Ala Arg 115 120 125 Ile Ala Ser Phe Phe Asn Lys Gln Met Trp Ser Glu Gly Phe Thr Ile 130 135 140 Thr Gly Ser Pro Leu Asn Asp Phe Arg Lys Leu Trp Pro Gln His His 145 150 155 160 Leu Asn Tyr Cys Asp Ile Val Glu Glu Tyr Glu Glu His Met Lys Lys 165 170 175 Leu Ala Ser Lys Leu Met Trp Leu Ala Leu Asn Ser Leu Gly Val Ser 180 185 190 Glu Glu Asp Ile Glu Trp Ala Ser Leu Ser Ser Asp Leu Asn Trp Ala 195 200 205 Gln Ala Ala Leu Gln Leu Asn His Tyr Pro Val Cys Pro Glu Pro Asp 210 215 220 Arg Ala Met Gly Leu Ala Ala His Thr Asp Ser Thr Leu Leu Thr Ile 225 230 235 240 Leu Tyr Gln Asn Asn Thr Ala Gly Leu Gln Val Phe Arg Asp Asp Leu 245 250 255 Gly Trp Val Thr Val Pro Pro Phe Pro Gly Ser Leu Val Val Asn Val 260 265 270 Gly Asp Leu Phe His Ile Leu Ser Asn Gly Leu Phe Lys Ser Val Leu 275 280 285 His Arg Ala Arg Val Asn Gln Thr Arg Ala Arg Leu Ser Val Ala Phe 290 295 300 Leu Trp Gly Pro Gln Ser Asp Ile Lys Ile Ser Pro Val Pro Lys Leu 305 310 315 320 Val Ser Pro Val Glu Ser Pro Leu Tyr Gln Ser Val Thr Trp Lys Glu 325 330 335 Tyr Leu Arg Thr Lys Ala Thr His Phe Asn Lys Ala Leu Ser Met Ile 340 345 350 Arg Asn His Arg Glu Glu 355 10 330 PRT Arabidopsis 10 Met Ala Val Leu Ser Lys Pro Val Ala Ile Pro Lys Ser Gly Phe Ser 1 5 10 15 Leu Ile Pro Val Ile Asp Met Ser Asp Pro Glu Ser Lys His Ala Leu 20 25 30 Val Lys Ala Cys Glu Asp Phe Gly Phe Phe Lys Val Ile Asn His Gly 35 40 45 Val Ser Ala Glu Leu Val Ser Val Leu Glu His Glu Thr Val Asp Phe 50 55 60 Phe Ser Leu Pro Lys Ser Glu Lys Thr Gln Val Ala Gly Tyr Pro Phe 65 70 75 80 Gly Tyr Gly Asn Ser Lys Ile Gly Arg Asn Gly Asp Val Gly Trp Val 85 90 95 Glu Tyr Leu Leu Met Asn Ala Asn His Asp Ser Gly Ser Gly Gly Pro 100 105 110 Leu Phe Pro Ser Leu Leu Lys Ser Pro Gly Thr Phe Arg Asn Ala Leu 115 120 125 Glu Glu Tyr Thr Thr Ser Val Arg Lys Met Thr Phe Asp Val Leu Glu 130 135 140 Lys Ile Thr Asp Gly Leu Gly Ile Lys Pro Arg Asn Thr Leu Ser Lys 145 150 155 160 Leu Val Ser Asp Gln Asn Thr Asp Ser Ile Leu Arg Leu Asn His Tyr 165 170 175 Pro Pro Cys Pro Leu Ser Asn Lys Lys Thr Asn Gly Gly Lys Asn Val 180 185 190 Ile Gly Phe Gly Glu His Thr Asp Pro Gln Ile Ile Ser Val Leu Arg 195 200 205 Ser Asn Asn Thr Ser Gly Leu Gln Ile Asn Leu Asn Asp Gly Ser Trp 210 215 220 Ile Ser Val Pro Pro Asp His Thr Ser Phe Phe Phe Asn Val Gly Asp 225 230 235 240 Ser Leu Gln Val Met Thr Asn Gly Arg Phe Lys Ser Val Arg His Arg 245 250 255 Val Leu Ala Asn Cys Lys Lys Ser Arg Val Ser Met Ile Tyr Phe Ala 260 265 270 Gly Pro Ser Leu Thr Gln Arg Ile Ala Pro Leu Thr Cys Leu Ile Asp 275 280 285 Asn Glu Asp Glu Arg Leu Tyr Glu Glu Phe Thr Trp Ser Glu Tyr Lys 290 295 300 Asn Ser Thr Tyr Asn Ser Arg Leu Ser Asp Asn Arg Leu Gln Gln Phe 305 310 315 320 Glu Arg Lys Thr Ile Lys Asn Leu Leu Asn 325 330 11 342 PRT Arabidopsis 11 Met Val Val Leu Pro Gln Pro Val Thr Leu Asp Asn His Ile Ser Leu 1 5 10 15 Ile Pro Thr Tyr Lys Pro Val Pro Val Leu Thr Ser His Ser Ile Pro 20 25 30 Val Val Asn Leu Ala Asp Pro Glu Ala Lys Thr Arg Ile Val Lys Ala 35 40 45 Cys Glu Glu Phe Gly Phe Phe Lys Val Val Asn His Gly Val Arg Pro 50 55 60 Glu Leu Met Thr Arg Leu Glu Gln Glu Ala Ile Gly Phe Phe Gly Leu 65 70 75 80 Pro Gln Ser Leu Lys Asn Arg Ala Gly Pro Pro Glu Pro Tyr Gly Tyr 85 90 95 Gly Asn Lys Arg Ile Gly Pro Asn Gly Asp Val Gly Trp Ile Glu Tyr 100 105 110 Leu Leu Leu Asn Ala Asn Pro Gln Leu Ser Ser Pro Lys Thr Ser Ala 115 120 125 Val Phe Arg Gln Thr Pro Gln Ile Phe Arg Asn Ala Leu Glu Glu Tyr 130 135 140 Thr Thr Ser Val Arg Lys Met Thr Phe Asp Val Leu Glu Lys Ile Thr 145 150 155 160 Asp Gly Leu Gly Ile Lys Pro Arg Asn Thr Leu Ser Lys Leu Val Ser 165 170 175 Asp Gln Asn Thr Asp Ser Ile Leu Arg Leu Asn His Tyr Pro Pro Cys 180 185 190 Pro Leu Ser Asn Lys Lys Thr Asn Gly Gly Lys Asn Val Ile Gly Phe 195 200 205 Gly Glu His Thr Asp Pro Gln Ile Ile Ser Val Leu Arg Ser Asn Asn 210 215 220 Thr Ser Gly Leu Gln Ile Asn Leu Asn Asp Gly Ser Trp Ile Ser Val 225 230 235 240 Pro Pro Asp His Thr Ser Phe Phe Phe Asn Val Gly Asp Ser Leu Gln 245 250 255 Val Met Thr Asn Gly Arg Phe Lys Ser Val Arg His Arg Val Leu Ala 260 265 270 Asn Cys Lys Lys Ser Arg Val Ser Met Ile Tyr Phe Ala Gly Pro Ser 275 280 285 Leu Thr Gln Arg Ile Ala Pro Leu Cys Leu Ile Asp Asn Glu Asp Glu 290 295 300 Arg Leu Tyr Glu Glu Phe Thr Trp Ser Glu Tyr Lys Asn Ser Thr Tyr 305 310 315 320 Asn Ser Arg Leu Ser Asp Asn Arg Leu Gln Gln Phe Glu Arg Lys Thr 325 330 335 Ile Lys Asn Leu Leu Asn 340 12 335 PRT Arabidopsis 12 Met Val Ile Val Leu Gln Pro Ala Ser Phe Asp Ser Asn Leu Tyr Val 1 5 10 15 Asn Pro Lys Cys Lys Pro Arg Pro Val Leu Ile Pro Val Ile Asp Leu 20 25 30 Thr Asp Ser Asp Ala Lys Thr Gln Ile Val Lys Ala Cys Glu Glu Phe 35 40 45 Gly Phe Phe Lys Val Ile Asn His Gly Val Arg Pro Asp Leu Leu Thr 50 55 60 Gln Leu Glu Gln Glu Ala Ile Asn Phe Phe Ala Leu His His Ser Leu 65 70 75 80 Lys Asp Lys Ala Gly Pro Pro Asp Pro Phe Gly Tyr Gly Thr Lys Arg 85 90 95 Ile Gly Pro Asn Gly Asp Leu Gly Trp Leu Glu Tyr Ile Leu Leu Asn 100 105 110 Ala Asn Leu Cys Leu Glu Ser His Lys Thr Thr Ala Ile Phe Arg His 115 120 125 Thr Pro Ala Ile Phe Arg Glu Ala Val Glu Glu Tyr Ile Lys Glu Met 130 135 140 Lys Arg Met Ser Ser Lys Phe Leu Glu Met Val Glu Glu Glu Leu Lys 145 150 155 160 Ile Glu Pro Lys Glu Lys Leu Ser Arg Leu Val Lys Val Lys Glu Ser 165 170 175 Asp Ser Cys Leu Arg Met Asn His Tyr Pro Glu Lys Glu Glu Thr Pro 180 185 190 Val Lys Glu Glu Ile Gly Phe Gly Glu His Thr Asp Pro Gln Leu Ile 195 200 205 Ser Leu Leu Arg Ser Asn Asp Thr Glu Gly Leu Gln Ile Cys Val Lys 210 215 220 Asp Gly Thr Trp Val Asp Val Thr Pro Asp His Ser Ser Phe Phe Val 225 230 235 240 Leu Val Gly Asp Thr Leu Gln Val Met Thr Asn Gly Arg Phe Lys Ser 245 250 255 Val Lys His Arg Val Val Thr Asn Thr Lys Arg Ser Arg Ile Ser Met 260 265 270 Ile Tyr Phe Ala Gly Pro Pro Leu Ser Glu Lys Ile Ala Pro Leu Ser 275 280 285 Cys Leu Val Pro Lys Gln Asp Asp Cys Leu Tyr Asn Glu Phe Thr Trp 290 295 300 Ser Gln Tyr Lys Leu Ser Ala Tyr Lys Thr Lys Leu Gly Asp Tyr Arg 305 310 315 320 Leu Gly Leu Phe Glu Lys Arg Pro Pro Phe Ser Leu Ser Asn Val 325 330 335 

We claim:
 1. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a polynucleotide having an uninterrupted coding sequence that encodes a polypeptide the amino acid sequence of which is at least 35% identical to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6
 2. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the polynucleotide has a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide the amino acid sequence of which is at least 50% identical to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6.
 3. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the polynucleotide has a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide the amino acid sequence of which is at least 70% identical to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6.
 4. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the polynucleotide has a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide the amino acid sequence of which is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6.
 5. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the polynucleotide has a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide the amino acid sequence of which is at least 99% identical to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6.
 6. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the polynucleotide has a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide the amino acid sequence of which is identical to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6.
 7. A constructed nucleic acid molecule comprising a polynucleotide having an uninterrupted coding sequence that encodes a polypeptide having the sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:4 with conservative amino acid substitutions, or SEQ ID NO:6 with conservative amino acid substitutions.
 8. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 7, wherein the polynucleotide has a nucleotide sequence identical to SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:5.
 9. A nucleic acid construct comprising: a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide, the polypeptide being at least 35% identical in amino acid sequence to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6; and a normative plant expressible promoter operably linked to the polynucleotide.
 10. The nucleic acid construct of claim 9, wherein the polypeptide is effective when expressed in a transgenic plant to cause the transgenic plant to be shorter compared to a non-transgenic plant of the same genetic background.
 11. A constructed nucleic acid molecule comprising: a polynucleotide having an uninterrupted coding sequence that encodes a polypeptide, the polypeptide being at least 35% identical in amino acid sequence to SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6; and a plant expressible promoter operably linked to the polynucleotide
 12. The constructed nucleic acid molecule of claim 11, wherein the polypeptide is effective when expressed in a transgenic plant to cause the transgenic plant to be shorter compared to a non-transgenic plant of the same genetic background.
 13. A transgenic plant comprising in its genome the nucleic acid molecule of claim
 11. 14. The transgenic plant of claim 13, wherein the transgenic plant is at least about 20% shorter than a non-transgenic plant of the same genetic background while being grown under the same conditions.
 15. A transgenic plant that produces enhanced levels of L10 or 69 protein relative to the natural amount of L10 or 69 protein in a non-transgenic plant of the same species.
 16. A seed of the plant of claim
 15. 